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 Visitors advised “not to go to dark alleys” while in MalaysiaPrior to the commencement of the Visit Malaysia Year 2007, the authorities in Malaysia had assured that all tourists will not face any bureaucratic problems and will receive special treatment.
But a media report has shared that Malaysia is battling rising crime as it strives to find ways to attract investors and boost tourist arrivals.
Malaysia's Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy said that highway hijackings of trucks in Malaysia's north have led to millions of dollars in losses, and are eroding investor confidence. “It has an adverse impact on the investment environment as a lot of high-value goods are based on just-in-time delivery. It will erode the confidence of local and foreign investors,” Chan was quoted as saying in the Star daily.
Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Adnan Mansor told Bloomberg that while crime against tourists has diminished, tour operators and travel agents have been instructed to advise visitors “not to go to dark alleys” while in Malaysia. Earlier this month, the nation launched its Visit Malaysia Year 2007, which aims to increase tourism receipts by 19 percent to RM44.5 billion. It plans to attract 20.1 million visitors in 2007. The revenue target is almost 10 per cent of the $131 billion economy.
According to Todayonline.com, analysts said that rising crime in Malaysia may put off some visitors. In the first nine months of 2006, there were 170,481 reported crimes, the Royal Malaysia Police said on its Web site. The figure is higher than the 157,459 crimes reported in the whole of 2005.
“It's a great threat to the success of tourism,” reportedly said Norman Nathan, Malaysia-based director of international business development at the Bahrain-Malaysia international trade and investment bureau.
On the positive side, an average of 60,000 tourists have been arriving daily since the beginning of January. The authorities feel such rate will surely propel tourism Ministry's confidence that VMY 2007 will be a success.
Among other precautionary measures, the taxi drivers have been warned not to manipulate fares as they would be monitored closely.
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